East of Jerusalem’s Old City, separating it from the Judean Desert, sits the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives is one of the most important sites in the space around Jerusalem that’s mentioned in the Scriptures.
Mount of Olives first appears when it is mentioned as the escape route King David took during his son Absalom’s rebellion. It’s referred to often in the New Testament because it is the route from Jerusalem to Bethany. It was Jesus’s favorite spot for teaching. It is in this spot that the Dominum Flevit church was built by the Franciscan order in 1954. This Byzantine church is shaped like a tear.
Across from the Church of All Nations, located at the foot of the mountain, is the Gardens of Gethsemane. Next to this are the churches adjacent to Mount Scopus, including the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the convent of Pater Noster.
Garden Tomb – “Place of the Skull”
Garden Tomb sits among well maintained trees and gardens, providing a peaceful environment where visitors can pray and reflect. However, any claim that Christ was buried and rose from the dead here is not authentic.
The open tomb is carved into the face of the rock and features skull-like erosion in a limestone cliff nearby, which can be found down the alley off Nablus Road.
Protestant pilgrims especially love this spot and preferred it over the cluttered Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which could be found in the Old City. For some time, it was formally supported by the Anglican church.